Chapter 13: Disappointment
Hearing her daughter’s words, Ding Yuejun looked at her in disbelief.
"Yiyi, what... what do you mean by that?"
Yiyi glanced at her mother, then said indifferently, "Since Grandma and Father have never treated us as family, why should we stay in this home?"
"But... if we don’t stay at home, where else can we go?"
By the end, Ding Yuejun was full of sorrow. She had no family home to return to, so if she left the Mo family, she didn’t know where she could take Yiyi and the others.
Hearing her mother, Yiyi quickly said, "Mom, even if we leave the Mo family, we can still live on our own. Without Father, can we not make it on our own?" She knew her mother had no family; her mother was adopted by an elderly widow, and after her mother married, the old woman passed away, so her mother had no other relatives.
Though she spoke this way, Ding Yuejun still couldn’t accept her daughter’s viewpoint.
"Yiyi, even though your grandma and father aren’t good to us, they’re still your family. We don’t need to leave home."
Mo Xiaohong nodded quickly, saying, "Yes, Yiyi, even if Grandma and Father don’t like us, they’re still our elders. Don’t say such things again. We can’t act unfilially."
Hearing her mother and sister, Yiyi furrowed her brow, feeling a bit helpless inside.
She didn’t expect them to think this way. It seemed she needed to work harder to take her mother and them away from the Mo family.
Thinking of this, Yiyi said no more but looked at Mo Xiaohong and said, "Sister, take Shanshan and rest for now."
Mo Xiaohong nodded quickly and then started chatting with her daughter.
Ding Yuejun looked at her daughter and said, "Yiyi, let me change your bandage."
The herbal medicine her daughter picked was indeed effective; the wound on her forehead had already healed.
Yiyi smiled and nodded at this.
However, just after Yiyi had changed her bandage, Mo Guowei came over. He frowned at his wife, two daughters, and granddaughter Jiang Shan, saying harshly, "What are you standing around here for? Go make dinner! Do you plan to sit around and wait to be fed?"
Hearing her father’s words, Mo Xiaohong immediately stood up and said, "Dad, I’ll go make dinner right now."
Now that she was divorced from Jiang Huirong, she had to depend on her family for everything, so she had to take the initiative.
Mo Yiyi glanced at Mo Guowei and then stood up, "Sister, I’ll go with you."
"Yiyi, you’re still hurt. Just rest. I can handle dinner alone."
Seeing this, Ding Yuejun also stood up quickly, "Yiyi, your sister’s right. You should rest. I’ll go help."
However, Mo Guowei gave Yiyi a cold glance and said, "I see her injury is almost healed, so she should do her share of the work. You all go to the kitchen and prepare dinner."
Hearing Mo Guowei’s words, Yiyi’s gaze deepened.
But when she saw the disapproval in her mother’s eyes, she couldn’t help but curl her lips. This was good—each dissatisfaction and rift would eventually exhaust her mother’s patience. By then, even if she didn’t say anything, her mother would think of leaving.
Thinking of this, Yiyi looked at Mo Guowei and said, "Dad, my head may be injured, but since Grandma and Aunt Meina are unavailable, I’ll go help."
Seeing the youngest daughter agree, Mo Guowei’s sour expression finally softened a bit, "Then hurry up and start working. Stop thinking about being lazy all day long."
But before Yiyi could move, Ding Yuejun had already grabbed her hand.
Then she looked angrily at Mo Guowei, "Yiyi is already hurt, and you still make her cook dinner. Have you ever cared for your daughter? Mo Meina almost never does any work; it’s always Yiyi helping with the chores. Can’t she at least make dinner once?"
Hearing Ding Yuejun’s words, Mo Guowei glared at her and said, "Meina never made dinner. What help can she offer?"
Ding Yuejun’s anger surged at her husband’s words.
"Yiyi wasn’t born knowing how to work; everyone learns over time. When Yiyi was so little, she could help in the kitchen. Now Meina’s grown up, can’t she help in the kitchen a bit?"
Mo Guowei’s words made Ding Yuejun recall the hardships her daughter suffered as a child. Clearly both granddaughters, yet Mo Meina never worked, while Yiyi busied herself with household chores. Now injured, her husband still wanted Yiyi to help, without any consideration for her.
"What’s your attitude? I see Yiyi is fine now. Her injury shouldn’t be serious. What’s wrong with helping make dinner?"
Mo Guowei was also furious at Ding Yuejun’s attitude. His once obedient wife now dared to raise her voice at him. How could he endure this? Moreover, they handled the elder daughter’s matter behind his back; he hadn’t even settled that score yet. Now they were boldly arguing with him.
Hearing her husband’s words, Ding Yuejun’s eyes were filled with disappointment.
"Do you really disregard Xiaohong and Yiyi so much? Even with Jiang Huirong behaving like this, do you still want Xiaohong to suffer in the Jiang family? Did you not see Yiyi when she got hurt? Her forehead was gashed, bleeding nonstop, yet Grandma didn’t want to send her to the hospital. If Yiyi hadn’t gathered herbs, who knows what would’ve happened. Now, just a few days later, you want her back at work. Do you even consider Yiyi your daughter?"
Mo Guowei was enraged by her words.
"Alright, since you’re so concerned about your daughter, then do more work yourself. There’s never a quiet day."
After saying this, Mo Guowei turned and left, not wanting to look at Yiyi and the others even once more.
Seeing Mo Guowei like that, Ding Yuejun was so angry her chest hurt.
"Mom, don’t be angry. I’ll help in the kitchen later. Isn’t Dad always like this? He treats Meina and Ke Fei much better than me and my sister, you know that."
Hearing her daughter’s words, Ding Yuejun thought of the difference in how her husband treated their nephew and niece versus their own daughter, Yiyi. The more she thought, the worse she felt, and her resentment towards Mo Guowei deepened.
Seeing her mother so upset, Yiyi didn’t dare to say more, fearing she’d provoke her mother too much, which wouldn’t be worth it. Given Mo Guowei’s nature, he would surely continue showing favoritism, and her mother would become more disappointed in him.